Tag: dailyprompt

Are we doing a loop again, seems like I’ve answered this question before. It is hard to come up with a character because I don’t have a particular favorite, just watched for the sake of watching something!

One character that pops up and pops in is Scooby-Doo. He is a cartoon character created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears for Hanna-Barbera. The Great Dane had bowed legs, a sloped back, and a chin that looked too small for his size. Scooby-Doo was also the perfect scaredy-cat. He had a massive appetite, is loyal to his friends and for all his fears, he stood up or rather protected them from danger when danger showed up. He loved being goofy and engaging in light-hearted teasing with his friend Shaggy.

Whenever he does something brave, this catchphrase comes into play. “Scooby-Dooby-Doo!” His trademark giggling, “Hehehehehe,” is used whenever he does something silly and “Ruh-wher?” is the question he uses when a monster vanished from sight.

All in all a lovable character and I wouldn’t say my all-time favorite cartoon character but right up there. By the way, I’ve outgrown cartoon characters!

Daily writing prompt

Who is your favorite cartoon character?

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Where success is concerned, your mindset matters. Make up your mind to succeed and the rest will fall into place. Not that easy? No, it is not that easy but that making your mind up part is the first and most integral part to succeeding in everything you do.

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.” Michael Altschuler

This quote speaks volumes. You can daydream all you want but how you go about designing your life depends on you. I was a dreamer in my younger days but luckily I pulled my head out of the clouds and got going. It was hard work with failures along the way. I never gave up even if I felt like doing exactly that at times. There were moments when I stood still not knowing which path to take but those moments were few and far between.

I’m at a place now where all that hard work has paid off. I lead a comfortable life and can concentrate on what I love doing best and that is writing. Just a matter of luck? I don’t think luck has or had anything to do with it. It was my mindset and the hard work that got the wheels churning. The other thing is if you fall flat on your face, pick yourself back up and keep going. The light at the end of the tunnel is there and somewhere along the way, it will show up!

To answer your question, mindset, a positive one has everything to do with success, financial or otherwise.

Daily writing prompt

How does your mindset affect your financial success?

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He is such a character that I can picture him saying exactly that. What does it mean? Breaking it down, “Bah” is a grumpy sound that shows anger or disgust, and “Humbug” is an old word from the 1700s meaning nonsense. Right now, the little bugger is NOT happy so I can picture him using that word to his heart’s content. I am talking about Chachi, my cat, my constant companion, and my little love.

He is happy to have me back home after my absence of a few days but he is not giving in that easily. Showing his disgust at his routine being turned on its head is his current preoccupation. Some days, he refuses to eat and on other days he says, “BACK OFF!” when I try to give him some extra affection. I’m giving him all the space he needs but it has been two weeks since I came home from the hospital and things are frosty!

Yes, he is spoiled and he is used to getting his own way. A new person walking in to take care of him did not set too well with him. She said, “He is looking grumpy and is keeping his distance.” I thought it was temporary and his mood would turn for the better but no chance. He has both the John Wayne gait on and Ebenezer Scrooge’s face front and center!

It is going to take time till HE decides it is time to give in and to be nice again. Until then, I can see him saying, “BAH HUMBUG!” to everything.

Daily writing prompt

If your pet could talk, what would be the first thing it says?

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I don’t think I’ve ever regretted reading a book. Reading was my favorite hobby and I’ve gone through books like a hurricane! It was back when I needed something to keep me occupied and I found out that I could leave home without ever leaving home, if you know what I mean. I loved reading but it is a lost art now. These days I write so I’ve lost interest in reading.

Coming back to the question, I usually look at the prologue if there is one and Nora Roberts, my favorite author, always or almost always has one. If it captures my imagination and gets my curiosity flowing, I pick it up. This method never fails to keep my nose in the book, although I must say that her older books were better written than her newer ones. I’ve wondered if she is using co-writers or ghostwriters to get her books out.

The other thing I look for is the blurb on the back cover. It usually tells me if I should read the book, if it is of interest, or I should put it back down. If that fails, the first chapter sets the tone for me and tells me whether I will enjoy the read or not.

I don’t think I’ve ever regretted reading a book so my answer is no.

Daily writing prompt

Have you ever regretted reading a book — which one and why?

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I find Hollywood’s ugly girl turned pretty transformations especially annoying. Give her a pair of glasses, baggy clothes or those that don’t quite fit, messy hair, no makeup, and a host of other stuff that goes to make up a plain Jane a plain Jane and you’ve got the Ugly Girl Syndrome according to Hollywood.

Now, take off the glasses, give her a good haircut, add a wash to that, clothes that show off the figure which you didn’t know she had because it was hiding under all that fabric, add make up and you’ve got a femme fatale in the making. This is an annoying trope that has been used in movies and we lap it up, hook, line, and sinker.

Let’s look at Miss Congeniality. This is an ultimate example of this trope where “an attractive actress wears glasses and baggy clothes to look ugly before removing then to become instantly gorgeous.”

After the magical makeover, her snort is gone, her glasses are gone, and the little trick of brushing her hair puts forth a beauty queen. Hmm…if only it was as simple as that in real life!

This “transformation” tactic has been used many times over. In the Princess Diaries, Anne Hathaway transforms from a frizzy-haired nobody into a royal princess by changing a few things. In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the same happens to Nia Vardalos when she ditches her glasses and with a little makeup is ready to fly. Just kidding.

I find these transformations more than annoying. Not only that, it is more than predictable as well. However, we are all romantics at heart, most of us are, and we want that moment when the main character, a nobody, meets her charming prince sans all the other stuff, the ugly parts. Fairy tales are alive and kicking through modern storytelling!

That’s Hollywood for you and I’m sure there will be more of the same in some future movie AND we’ll fall for it again!

Daily writing prompt

What’s the most annoying trope in books or movies?

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I was about twelve and right on the verge of puberty when life was simple and easy to navigate.

My daily routine consisted of school, doing my homework, getting a few chores done for mom, and the rest of the time was mine and mine alone. I had the woods behind the house to explore and it gave me hours and hours of doing nothing but just that. One day I would explore a beautiful fern growing way up on a tree and on another day, rainbow fish swimming in the stream meandering through the forest. They were mesmerizing. Then there were the mushrooms in every color, shape, and size and I would look for little people under them. Yes, I had a vivid imagination which would help with my writing career later on in life.

It was a time when life was simple. The simple pleasures put a smile on my face and my mind was filled with something wondrous, nature at its best. I was caught up in a world of imagination and anything was possible, that was the message I got. I didn’t know at the time that I was getting ready to leave it all behind and “time” would show me a different path altogether. Simplicity would be left behind and I would embark on growing up where life became difficult but that year in the woods would stay with me forever.

It is a year I would love to relive and I would go back there willingly. Time stood still and I was caught up in something bigger than myself. It was a time when boys were waiting to be discovered and life’s demands were put on hold and SIMPLE was what it was about.

Daily writing prompt

If you could relive one year of your life, which one would it be?

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I’m not a very brave person and being brave also means taking risks and I’m not a risk-taker. However, I have learned that sometimes you have no choice and being brave is not up to you but about the circumstances you are in.

I live in a village that goes to sleep at around 7:30 in the evenings! The streets are empty and so are the roads. When my son was in his teens and just starting to spread his wings, I found out that that bravery would be called into play many times.

I recall he was going to a party in the next village. He was going to walk and it would take him about 20 minutes to get there. It was ok in the daytime but at night a game changer. I was nervous about him getting home late at night so I offered to pick him up when he was done and ready to come home.

It was getting late approaching midnight when he wrote, “Mom, please pick me up at around 2.”

“Where?”

“Gas station”

I wasn’t happy but I had promised and I’m a promise keeper. At 1:30 in the morning, I got into my car. There was no traffic on the road as I made my way there. I was freaked out but took deep breaths as I pulled in at the gas station. It was deserted as with everything else at that time of morning. I parked and waited.

At a quarter past two, I heard voices. Then I saw two figures in the distance heading in my direction, they were talking and cutting up. One of them was my son. He saw the car as he got closer and I could see relief cross his face. His friend lived in that village so he was just a stone’s throw away from home and didn’t need help getting home.

My son got in and the first thing he said was, “Mom, I’m hungry! Let’s get Burger King!” We drove to the all-night Burger King place, which was deserted as well, and got him what he wanted. It was quiet in the car as we drove home and occasionally the silence would be broken by his chatter. He was happy and feeling safe. Mom had come to the rescue and it wouldn’t be the last time either! It was the beginning that would test my bravery many times over!

In the dead of night and when the world around me was asleep, I chose unwillingly to show just how brave I was!

Daily writing prompt

What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done when no one was watching?

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